I bought a 10 gallon tank today for my male betta (currently in a 1 gallon critter keeper). I would like for the tank to house the betta along with some tetras or black neons and maybe a snail. Should I add the tetras or neons first for a few days before adding the betta? I think I read somewhere that I should... I would also like to have live plants in the tank. I have had freshwater tanks in the past but have no experience with live plants. I have been looking over the Common Aquarium Plant Guide in the forum but would love some additional suggestions/advice on good plants for a beginner. Looks like Java Moss, Java Fern, Anubias, Amazon Frogbit and Duckweek might be some good options? I can use regular tank gravel? How about any of the types that "carpet" the tank floor? Also, my tank came with an Aqua-Tech 5-15 power filter. Will I need to baffle this filter? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Live plants aren't hard at all. I'm glad you are choosing to go with them from the start. Regular aquarium gravel is just fine. The special substrates are just a waste of money. But you should get a plant bulb between 5000K and 7000K. 6500K is what I use. Amazon frogbit is actually rather difficult to keep alive because it needs good air circulation above the water. I would go with water sprite as a better alternative. You might also want to look into fertilizer like Flourish Comprehensive. Planted aquariums are a balance.

Now about your stocking plan. Neon tetra and black neon tetra both need a larger tank as they need to be maintained in large groups to prevent fin nipping. Ember tetra are a better alternative if you have soft water, and plain guppies are better if you have hard water (hardness is actually very important to fish). You are right that the other fish should be added to the tank before the betta is.

Thanks Izzy! I appreciate the input! My bulb is a 6500 so it should be good. I have now ruled out the black tetras and neon tetras. Based on your recommendation and some further reading, I think I have it narrowed down to either the ember tetras, Pristella/X-ray tetras or Rasbora Brigittae. From what I have read, the X-ray can cycle with the tank...would you agree - especially if I am starting the tank with live plants? Can I keep two types of the fish or am I better off with just the betta and one other type of fish?

I have ten gallon get with a fewlive plants.
my suggestions:
1.corydoras (they are adorable and funn)
2.SAND not gravel its a bit more work but its cheeper than gravel and looks better IMO plus corydoras love the stuff just made the switch from gravel to sand best choice ever
3. Ghost shrimp they are cooler than you think.
In the end its up to you good luck!

This is from what 've read and experiance (i just recently switched)
any long term sand people feal free to add on or correct anything that sounds wrong.
cons:
if you are not careful it can mess up your filte (just turn it off whe you are adding it or stiring itt up)
you have to rinse it out really well to remove clay and whatever else
you have to stir it up to prevent the build up of harmful gasses

Pros
it looks mor natural.
corrydoras love it.
I susspect it is better for a planted tank as it is easier to root in and easier to put plants in ime
if you want colors crayola makes a brand that many people use for aquariyms they come in a small variety of colors.
If you get corydoras they sift through the sand for food in mouth out gills super awesome btw

Thanks Izzy! I appreciate the input! My bulb is a 6500 so it should be good. I have now ruled out the black tetras and neon tetras. Based on your recommendation and some further reading, I think I have it narrowed down to either the ember tetras, Pristella/X-ray tetras or Rasbora Brigittae. From what I have read, the X-ray can cycle with the tank...would you agree - especially if I am starting the tank with live plants? Can I keep two types of the fish or am I better off with just the betta and one other type of fish?

I can confirm that X-rays are hardy enough to survive a cycle with live plants (and even without live plants, too). Embers and Rasbora brigitae (sometimes called Mosquito rasbora) aren't. The rasbora are particularly sensitive; if you go with them, you should let the tank age for a few months before you add them. Really pretty, tho. I actually considered adding them to a tank of mine. The catch about the rasbora and embers is that they need soft water (under10dGH). X-rays can live in harder water. You can find your local water hardness in your online local water quality report.

Spazzfish.....sand sounds tempting as I do like the look of it. I will probably stay away from it for now though. Maybe with my next tank....which I'm sure I will be working on before I know it : ) Thanks a bunch for the info!

Izzy....think I'll go with the X-rays and see how that goes. I'm planning on getting a water test kit when I set up the tank so then I'll have a better idea of what I'm dealing with for water quality. Maybe the Rasboras down the road at some point : ) Thanks so much for your help!
Kim